Liquid-tank indicator.



B. WEBSTER. LIQUID? TANK INDIGATOR. APPLmATIoN FILED MAR. so, 1908.

907,657. Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

U NITED STATES VvPATENT oBETcE.

BENJAMIN WEBSTER, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB To JOSEPH n.EVEBBTT, orv

BOSTON, MAsSAcBUSETTS;

LIQUID-TANK INDICATORI -To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN WEBSTER', a

citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLiquid-Tank Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to indicators for closed liquid tankssuch as areused in automobiles for carrying gasolene. These indicators are providedwith a ioat which rises and falls with the level of the liquid in thetank and a pointer and dial on the outside of the tank indicate thedepth or quantity of li uid in the tank.

`n the class of indicators to which my invention particularly relates,the tank is provided with a vertical shaft having apointer on its upperend wth a oat arm and float journaled adjacent to the lower end of the'shaft andthe object of my invention is to devisemeans for transmittingthe motion of the float arm around its pivot oint to the vertical shaftwhich will be Simp e and easily made and not liable to get out of order.

The invention consists in the device hereinafter shown and described.

I illustrate my invention by means of the accompanying drawing inwhiche- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectionl through a liquidtank showing my indicator in elevation and Fig, 2 is a perspective view4of the same.

- In the drawing, A represents a closed tank which may be a gasolenetank such as are used in automobiles, power boats etc.v My indicator iscarried by a fitting B suitably secured in an opening in the top of thetank. As here shown the iitting B rests on a collar a soldered to thetop of the tank and this lcollar has' a screw threaded outer'edge onwhich is screwed the clamping ring h, this latter having a bearing onthe topl of the f1tting B and serving also to secure in place thecrystal h by which the dial is protected. 'Ihe fitting B has formed onit a suitable dial d on which is marked a lsuitable scale or graduationto indicate the depth lor quantity of oil.

The quantityof oil in the tank is indicated 'through the dial.

shaft e is journaled in a horizontal arm b by a hand or pointer csecured on the upper end of a vertical shaft e which extends up Thelower end of the formed on the lower end of the supporting hanger bwhich is secured to the fitting B and actsto support the operatingmechanism.

The level of the liquid is ascertained by means of a float g3 on the endof a float arm g2, this arm being secured on a hub g which is journaledadjacent to the lower end of the shaft e. As here shown, the hub g isjour- -naled on the horizontal arm b in which the shaft e is journaled,the Shaft and the axis of the hub being at right angles to each other.

The motion of the float arm and hub around the journal b as the floatrises and falls is transmitted to the shaft e by means of a block fhaving a vertical hole and a horizontal pole parallel with the axis ofthe hub g. A kind of universal joint is formed with this block by meansof a rod g secured to the hub and having a horizontal portion passingthrough the horizontal hole in the block and a rod e secured to theshaft e and having a vertical portion which passes through the verticalhole in the block. As here shown each of the rods g and c are formed ofa piece of wire of suitable size and bent at right vangles to form endswhich are horizontal and vertical respectively and which fit into theholes so that they turn freely in the holes and slide longitudinallythereof. Thus as the hub g turns during the rise and fall of the float,the rotation of the hub is trans.- Initted through the joint formed bythe block to thel shaft, the position of the shaft as shown by thepointer indicating the position of the float. The operating parts asshown are all attached to the tting B and can be easily taken out andput into the tank and. the connecting joint is simple, easily andcheaply made, not liable to get out of order and it has not lo'st motionso that the pointer registers with great accuracy.

The herein described indicator for gasolene and other like tanksconsisting of a ver tical shaft having a pointer on the upper endthereof, a hub j ournaled adjacent to the l lower end of said shaft witha horizontal axis,

' Patented pag.22, 190s.f l

a .float arm and float secured to said'hio and horizontal portion-extending through said means for im arting the rotating motion ofhorizontal hole; 10 s ad'hub to t e vertical shaft comprising a InWitness whereof I have hereunto set my block having a vertical hole anda horizontal hand this 26th day of March, 1908. f5'hole parallel withthe axis of `said hub, a rod BENJAMIN WEBSTER.'

securedqto said vertical shaft havingva veri Witnesses: l tical portionextendin throu h said vertical JOSEPH M. EVERETT, y

hole and a rod secure to sai hub having a S. W. BATES.

